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| Criterion |  Operations 5 Whys |  Business Strategy Value Chain Analysis |  Operations Change Analysis |  Engineering Hypothesis-Driven Troubleshooting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. | Value Chain Analysis shows where value is created, costs accrue, and differentiation becomes possible along the process. It compares strengths, risks, market logic, and courses of action. The result is captured as a value-chain map and lever list. | For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise. | When systems fail unexpectedly, spontaneous attempts often produce more noise than insight. Hypothesis-driven Troubleshooting translates symptoms into testable assumptions and makes troubleshooting learnable. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-30 min | Half day | 45-120 min | 30-240 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 3-8 | 2-6 | 1-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Value Chain Map, Lever List | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List | Hypothesis Log, Test Plan, Evidence Notes, Diagnosis Summary |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | StrategyBusiness modelDiagnosisAnalysis | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison | TroubleshootingProblem solvingDiagnosis |